The City of Pensacola celebrated the completion of the Blake Doyle Community Skatepark at Hollice T. Williams Park with a ribbon cutting and grand opening event on Tuesday, May 2, commemorating a highly anticipated and monumental project for the Pensacola skate community.
Click here to view photos from the ribbon-cutting event.
Jon Shell, who came up with this way to honor his friend Blake Doyle, talked about the ceremony on “Real News with Rick Outzen:”
The Pensacola community joined Mayor D.C. Reeves, the City of Pensacola and Upward Intuition to celebrate this exciting project, which includes approximately 25,000 square feet of skateable surface area for skaters of all ages and skill levels. The skatepark features a beginner area, multilevel skate plaza, and two skate bowls, along with an additional 5,700 square feet of surrounding sidewalk and gathering areas.
“This is an incredible day for the City of Pensacola and the entire Pensacola community,” Mayor D.C. Reeves said. “Countless hours of hard work, advocacy and collaboration over the past 8-plus years have finally led us to this moment, and I’d like to thank everyone who played a role in making this exciting project a reality. This skatepark will undoubtedly become a regional destination for the skating community and help us continue to build a strong sense of place for our great city.”
The ribbon cutting event featured remarks from Mayor Reeves, District 6 Councilwoman Allison Patton, former Mayors Grover Robinson and Ashton Hayward, District 3 Escambia County Commissioner Lumon May, and Jon Shell of Upward Intuition.
Additional improvements through the project include stadium seating, sidewalks, concrete gathering areas and artificial turf areas, benches, multi-colored concrete, trash cans and a small stage area.
Construction of the Blake Doyle Community Skatepark was completed on time and under budget. The City of Pensacola awarded a contract to Bear Construction for construction of the skatepark, which was managed by the city’s Public Works and Facilities Department. All skatepark features were constructed by Evergreen Skateparks, a skatepark building company that designs and constructs skateparks worldwide.
The project was funded by the City of Pensacola’s Local Option Sales Tax, Community Redevelopment Agency, private donors, and the American Rescue Plan Act. The project design was funded by an Escambia County RESTORE Direct Component Grant. HDR Engineering and Kimley-Horn were selected to perform the overall park design and skatepark design with the assistance of American Ramp Company.
The skatepark is part of the overall transformation of Hollice T. Williams Park through a joint project with the City of Pensacola and Escambia County, which will ultimately create a place for community members of all ages to connect and enjoy activities in the heart of the city. The Hollice T. Williams Park will also serve to improve water quality and reduce stormwater in the area.
The Blake Doyle Community Skatepark will be open daily from dawn until dusk. For more information about the skatepark and to review park rules, visit the City of Pensacola’s website.
To learn more about the Hollice T. Williams Stormwater Park project, visit myhtwpark.com.